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Recent Examples of headsman
Several other leading figures of the period ended their days on the executioner’s block, including the unhappy Comte de Chalais, whose headsman bungled the job and ended up frantically chopping away at his screaming victim with a small hatchet.
—
David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Even if your reality is the headsman’s block!
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021
Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives.
—Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021
The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland.
—Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017
David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Even if your reality is the headsman’s block!
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021
Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives.
—Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021
The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland.
—Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headsman
Noun
-
That doesn’t portray a hero, but rather someone so arrogant as to invent his own law and appoint himself its executioner.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2025
-
The executioner who initiates the flow of lethal chemicals into Tanzi's body then enters the room to begin the state's three-drug protocol — beginning with etomidate, an anesthetic, followed by rocuronium bromide, a paralytic, and potassium acetate, which will induce cardiac arrest.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The death penalty has just been abolished in the United Kingdom, and all the townspeople in Oldham want to know what the second-best hangman in the country has to say about it.—
Luann Gibbs,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
But since taking office, the president has been tightening up his definition of freedom like a hangman’s noose.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Being an executor of an estate is a huge task, and the role only gets more complicated as the estate size increases.—
Steve Hruby,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
Getting precise information on assets may be helpful to fulfilling your obligations as a personal administrator (executor) or successor trustee under the deceased spouse’s revocable trust.—
Martin Shenkman,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Unlike other horror movies, there's no villain on screen; there's no murderer with a mask or a monster in the woods.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
When they are reunited again after Sang-wol’s release, Sang-wol struggles to find work because of her label as a murderer.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headsman. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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